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6 Dec 2016

New comics are due to hit the shelves on Wednesday so here’s a look ahead at some of the books we’ll be picking up this week.

Kenny J: One of the titles that’s a surprise hit with me in Marvel’s latest season of premiere issues has been Champions. Where issue #1 set up exactly who the core members of this group of young heroes will be, the second installment pushed those same teen relationships forward with just the right amount of conflict, comedy and awkward romance. This is the second book with a younger cast that Mark Waid is writing effortlessly, although, when you have an artist like Humberto Ramos working with you, it’s hard for a book not to feel fresh and vibrant. At the more affected end of the young adult market is The Wicked + The Divine #24. With the last issue being an experiment in prose, we are still really waiting to see the fallout from the Pantheon finding out who was behind the serial deaths of this generation’s starlet gods. It seems that we are entering the endgame of what Gillen and McKelvie have planned out from the beginning but then again if this story has a sting in the tail it wouldn’t be for the first time. Some of my favourite comic creatives are releasing their first creator-owned book as a team: Motor Crush #1 from Image will see Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher and Babs Tarr reunite after wrapping their run on Batgirl at the beginning of the year. Motor Crush promises to be a fast paced post apocalyptic motorsports book. If that seems a bit niche just remember it’s a comic from Image. It’s what they do best.

4 Dec 2016

We may not have time to review every book on our pull-lists but we do aim to provide a snapshot of what's been released over the past week, encompassing the good, the bad, and those that lie somewhere in between.

OLD MAN LOGAN #14

Writer: Jeff Lemire

Art: Filipe Andrade & Jordie Bellaire

Marvel $3.99

Matt C: With regular artist Andrea Sorrentino taking a break from interiors, Jeff Lemire uses the opportunity to lighten things up for the titular hero... relatively speaking. Guest artist Filipe Andrade still brings some grizzled imagery into play but there’s more humour in here than usual, which is probably unavoidable when dealing with this new iteration of the Howling Commandos with codenames such Manphibian and Vampire By Night (which Lemire takes in his stride, never missing a beat). It’s a welcome change of pace, not undercutting the serious tone of previous chapters in any way and staying true to this version of the character, and after seeing him in more intense scenarios it great to see fun enter the proceedings, if only for a short while. 8/10

29 Nov 2016

New comics are due to hit the shelves on Wednesday so here’s a look ahead at some of the books we’ll be picking up this week.

Andy H: A quiet week but still a pretty diverse bunch of titles on my pull-list to keep me occupied. Civil War II may not be over yet but Marvel are already on their next 'event' as Inhumans Vs X-Men #0 (IVX) sets the scene on the showdown between the two factions. Charles Soule, a mainstay for Marvel these days, is writing the series, and he's joined by artist Kenneth Rocafort, whose unique style is my main reason for picking this title up. I'll be honest, I almost avoided IVX as I thought this was going to be the mutants' swansong and why would I want to read that?? Thankfully, new X-titles are promised for the new year, so hope springs eternal for the X-Men. It's a double header from Rick Remender this week with Deadly Class #24 and Seven To Eternity #3. Both have been great reads and I always look forward to the next issue so if it had only been these two out this Wednesday I would have considered my pull more than enough. Finally, I've been looking forward to the return of Dan Schaffer for ages. I was blown away by his black and white art (and writing) on Dogwitch many moons ago and now he's back with White #1. This time the art is in full colour as we follow the survivor of a plane crash as she struggles against the odds in shark-infested water. It's all about the quality this week, not quantity.

27 Nov 2016

We may not have time to review every book on our pull-lists but we do aim to provide a snapshot of what's been released over the past week, encompassing the good, the bad, and those that lie somewhere in between.

Matt C: The level of love that’s gone into this book is readily apparent as soon as you pick up a physical copy. From the oversized format, the paper stock utilized, through to the heart and soul poured into the words and pictures, this is an astonishing example of comic book art. Synder and Lemire have joined forces, mixing up prose with more conventional sequential art storytelling to produce a tale that is profoundly affecting on a deeply emotional level. It’s a meditation on the nature of mortality that works because it has two of comicdom’s premiere talents at the top of their game behind it, and truthfully, if you’ve ever been taken with their work in whatever genre, or indeed you feel this medium has the ability to convey truth in a way that other mediums cannot replicate, you owe it to yourself to pick yourself up a copy of After Death. A modern masterpiece in the making. 10/10

24 Nov 2016

And so we reach the final week of voting for the Paradoscars 2016. There's been a lot of voting activity so far but we still want to make one more concerted effort to grab as many additional votes as we can before the time comes to tot them all up (voting will end on 30th November).

As mentioned previously, at the time of writing some of these categories are still up for grabs. Looking at the vote tally at the moment, while there are a few clear winners emerging, for the most part it remains a close race.

We anticipate the announcement of the winners to be at some point on the 16th December. As usual, a tipsy PCG will congregate in a local restaurant where everything will be revealed, and the results will appear here shortly afterwards.

In the mean time, if you haven't done so already, please take this opportunity to vote in the 21 categories linked below. It's a cliché to say this, but every vote really does count!

22 Nov 2016

New comics are due to hit the shelves on Wednesday so here’s a look ahead at some of the books we’ll be picking up this week.

James R: We're almost at the end of the year, but 2016 has one last highlight for me: A.D.: After Death #1, the beginning of a three-part series set in a future where a cure for death has been discovered. I have been championing Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire for years here at the PCG and at last the day has come where we can see the results of a collaboration between these two heavyweights. If that wasn't enough, there's the next chapter of Black Monday Murders, which has become my favourite current ongoing title alongside Alan Moore's Providence. I'll also be picking up the latest issue of Jason Aaron's The Goddamned, which makes a welcome return after a delay, along with the writer's next chapter of Star Wars. I was worried that the main Star Wars series wouldn't be able to keep up the momentum of the early issues, but 25 issues in and it's still going strong. Long may it continue!

20 Nov 2016

We may not have time to review every book on our pull-lists but we do aim to provide a snapshot of what's been released over the past week, encompassing the good, the bad, and those that lie somewhere in between.

THANOS #1

Writer: Jeff Lemire

Art: Mike Deodato & Frank Martin

Marvel $3.99

Stewart R: I'll admit that in these days of the falling pound and increasing cover prices I'm actually a little reticent to pick up new Marvel books. The canon shifts on a crazily frequent basis along with the creative talent and it seems to make every purchase more of a gamble. And so gamble I have this week with Thanos #1, a new look at the Mad Titan from Lemire and Deodato. Lemire picks things up with a direct look at the aftermath of Hickman's 'Infinity' storyline and the void of power left by Thanos' quest and defeat. It's actually a fine way to catch up with things and reassert the power that lies within the hands of this key Marvel villain. Lemire, through a sequence of action from Deodato capped by a few sparing panels of dialogue, absolutely nails Thanos in one hit, capturing the pointed and dominant nature of his demeanour in quick fashion. The somewhat surprising kicker here is that this is not a story necessarily seen from Thanos' perspective. The early parts involving Thanos are narrated from a third person view and it gradually leans towards others forming the focus of the story's drive with the titular Titan being the 'prize'. Lemire ropes Starfox and '80s creation Tryco Slatterus into proceedings along with newer participant, Thane, to act as the rag-tag bunch who will make the destruction of Thanos their priority. This melding of old and new works alongside Deodato's application of the Ben Day Dot technique within his usual fine line/dark ink style to offer a visual that strikes with modern and retro appeal. The cliffhanger twist is interesting, rather than exciting, but there's enough quality here to convince me to gamble again next month with Thanos #2. 8/10

18 Nov 2016

And now it's time to vote in the final seven categories before winners of the Paradoscars 2016 are announced in mid-December. (There is an additional category - The PCG's Hero Honorary Award For Hero(ine) Of The Year - but that's one we decide internally and is not up for a public vote).

These categories focus on characters, adaptations, websites, disappointments, along with looking forward into 2017. If you haven't voted in the initial fourteen categories, you may do so here and here. And we really encourage you to do so - there's going to be some close races in some categories based on the tally of votes so far, while others see certain nominees charging ahead of the pack. But all of that can, of course, change, and that's where you come in.

Voting will run until the end of the month but we encourage you to cast your votes at the earliest opportunity!

15 Nov 2016

New comics are due to hit the shelves on Wednesday so here’s a look ahead at some of the books we’ll be picking up this week.

Andy H: Start off with a Marvel issue #1 this week. Thanos #1. Initially I was thinking, really? A Thanos ongoing? Fair enough we have movie stuff coming up but beyond that? But wait. Look at the creative talent. Jeff Lemire writing and Mike Deodato on art. Ooh, suddenly I'm interested. This is an A-list creative team. Last time I saw Thanos was in the pages of Civil War II, so, despite that series still being unfinished (tut, tut Marvel), this obviously picks up from where that left/leaves off. Sticking with Marvel, it's Amazing Spider-Man #21. So far, so good with the 'Clone Conspiracy' storyline. Great fun for a who's who of Spidey characters and I really like the art of Giuseppe Camuncoli, so I'm a happy Spidey fan at the moment. Superman #11 continues to explore the first meeting of the Super Sons as Robin and Superboy must put aside their differences to save the day. Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason did a great job on their run on Green Lantern Corps and still prove to be a dynamic duo of a creative team. Talking of creative teams, Reborn #2 is out this week by Mark Millar and Greg Capullo. Still a little unsure of this one but love the concept so I'm in for a few more issues at least. Now, I'm not usually the biggest fan of Star Trek in comics but I surprised myself and really enjoyed Star Trek: Waypoint #1 so will be picking up issue #2. It's a couple of short stories each issue and the focus isn't just on the main characters so it keeps it quite fresh. Finally, I have to pick up Infamous Iron Man #2 for no other reason than another bout of Ben Grimm vs. Doctor Doom. This is what comics are made for!

14 Nov 2016

We may not have time to review every book on our pull-lists but we do aim to provide a snapshot of what's been released over the past week, encompassing the good, the bad, and those that lie somewhere in between.

Matt C: This is more like it. Now Civil War II is out of the way we can back to business, and with a bit more momentum now a crossover event doesn’t have to be worked into the narrative. The flashbacks are interspersed with the contemporary storyline without any disruption in the overall flow and we get more monologuing and rhetoric from the Red Skull, which now has worrying relevance considering the events of the past week. It’s the best issue since the first, and as long as it doesn’t get distracted by any other goings on in the Marvel Universe then this series could regain the impact it had initially and really deliver on the great premise. 8/10

Who are the PCG?

The Paradox Comics Group are a collective of comic book connoisseurs who all frequent the esteemed retail establishment Paradox in Poole, England. Their tastes in the sequential art medium are wide and varied but they all possess an eternal fascination at the prospect of spandex-clad muscle men punching each other in the face.